CINCINNATI - The bullies roughed up the visitors so soundly that you could barely recognize the poor guys headed back to New Jersey by the end of the night.

The Bengals were hardly gracious hosts in a 49-9 names-takin’, ass-kickin’ beatdown over the Jets Sunday that left even the eternal green-clad optimist with this sobering conclusion: Rex Ryan’s team is destined for mediocrity this season.

There were cringe-worthy moments — from rookie Dee Milliner’s ineptitude that got him benched for the second time in five games to Geno Smith’s pair of second-half pick-sixes that magnified the chasm between the Jets and the league’s legitimate playoff contenders.

“On a scale of 10,” Rex Ryan said of the rout, “this one’s a 10.”

There were no silver linings on a day when the Jets looked like nothing more than a middling team going nowhere.

PHOTOS: JETS CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT IN CINCY

Seven days after the Jets made Tom Brady look like Andy Dalton, they made Andy Dalton look like Tom Brady.

Dalton shattered the Jets’ fourth-ranked defense into a million little pieces with a five-touchdown masterpiece to drop Ryan’s team to 4-4 at the midpoint of the season. The last quarterback to torch the Jets for five touchdown passes? Dan Marino in 1988.

Dalton delivered such a thorough beating that Antonio Cromartie’s wife restrained herself for about a quarter and a half before tweeting what we were all thinking: “Dalton making this s--- look like pop warner #nyj”

Profound… and accurate.

The Bengals made it look ridiculously easy in the first half while smacking around the Jets, who received a fresh dose of reality after a wild overtime win against the Patriots.
Rex Ryan can't hide from the fact that the Jets (and his defense) get roasted in Cincy.
John Grieshop/Getty Images
Rex Ryan can't hide from the fact that the Jets (and his defense) get roasted in Cincy.

RELATED: BENGALS BEAT UP ON AWFUL GENO, JETS

“When you come off a win when we beat one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and (then) we come into this weekend and basically lay an egg,” Cromartie said, “every man has to look at himself and figure out what they got to do…. to make this team better.”

The Jets have won back-to-back games just once in the last 27 games dating back to the end of the 2011 season. Ryan had no tangible explanation for why his team couldn’t stand prosperity.

“Obviously,” Ryan said, “we took a giant step back today.”

“It’s shocking to me,” defensive end Mo Wilkerson said. “I thought we were way better than this.”

His defense, the glue that kept the Jets afloat in the first two months, was embarrassed. The secondary was brutal. Dalton threw for 257 of his 325 yards in the first half. In all, four Bengals wide receivers had 14 catches for 279 yards and four touchdowns.

“It works hand in hand (with) the back end,” Wilkerson said of the inability to generate a pass rush. “You got balls thrown over our head. It works both ways. If those guys don’t hold them up for a second, those receivers, there’s no point of rushing, really.”

Milliner, who was only drafted because of the organization’s decision to trade Darrelle Revis, looked like a lost rookie who didn’t belong.
Matt Sims replaces Geno Smith after a second straight pick-six and is subsequently floored.
Marc Lebryk/USA Today Sports
Matt Sims replaces Geno Smith after a second straight pick-six and is subsequently floored.

How bad did it get for GM John Idzik’s first draft pick? He gave up four receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown on five targets in a quarter and a half. He was beaten the other time, but was saved when Mohamed Sanu let a long pass slip through his hands.

RELATED: FOR JETS ROOKIE MILLINER, IT’S BACK TO DEE BENCH

“I benched him because he wasn’t physically getting it done,” Ryan said.

Milliner wasn’t alone. Dawan Landry, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Darrin Walls, who replaced the ineffective Milliner, each gave up touchdowns in the secondary. Cromartie was beaten twice by A.J. Green for 50-plus yard completions.

It was a mess that can’t afford to happen again if the Jets have any hope of being a playoff threat during the second half of the season. Smith’s three-turnover first-half implosion against the Titans in Week 4 was hardly a shock, but Sunday’s defensive meltdown was disconcerting on myriad levels.

Ryan’s team dug an insurmountable 28-6 halftime hole against the Bengals without a turnover from their rookie quarterback. Smith wasn’t the culprit. This was different.

“It was an old fashioned ass-whuppin’,” right guard Willie Colon said.

Smith’s pair of second-half pick-sixes added to the carnage, but he wasn’t the problem this time.

I t doesn’t get easier for a shaky secondary that clearly misses the best cornerback in the NFL. Next up: Drew Brees’ aerial show from New Orleans.

“If we don’t play better than we did today,” Ryan said, “that guy will break every record known to man against us.”

No idea why I'm being mentioned in this thread. When I posted in the other thread I just meant Mehta was back to his old ways. The "I was wrong" articles were all fake and Mehta was just waiting to write his trash tabloid journalism (if that's what you call it) again. Mehta used to be readable before he sold out, lost all credibility and and started writing for that rag.

A new contender for dumbest fan on this board has emerged: BX Jet Fan.

Dude, you have started 8 threads and they all are Mehta articles or tweets. You have 36 posts. You obviously have an agenda. Did you watch Cimini crap all over the Jets and then get a gig at ESPN? You jelly?

Dude, you have started 8 threads and they all are Mehta articles or tweets. You have 36 posts. You obviously have an agenda. Did you watch Cimini crap all over the Jets and then get a gig at ESPN? You jelly?

Did Mehta break up with you on Twitter too? Were your feelings hurt when he blocked you?

There must be intelligent Jets fans on this board. I can't be the only one.

I started a thread with a good article from Steve Serby. I enjoy reading intelligent opinion pieces. I don't agree with everything Mehta writes, but he's damn good at sparking discussion. Intelligent Jets fans know that.

I started a thread with a good article from Steve Serby. I enjoy reading intelligent opinion pieces. I don't agree with everything Mehta writes, but he's damn good at sparking discussion. Intelligent Jets fans know that.

Fair enough, despite disagreeing about sparking discussion. I feel Mehta is self promoting, and his reporting is very condescending and not professional at all.

Let me also ask, and this is for clarification from all the posts. Are you a Jets fan? And if you are, how long have you been a Jets fan?

Are your other 9,781 posts as thought provoking as this one? Posters like you give real Jets fans a bad name.

None of them are thought provoking, but you know all about that with your "articles." Will you quote an "anonymous source within JI" to confirm the content of my 9000+ posts? Whore. I'm sure your parents are proud of the "journalist" slut they've raised.

I started a thread with a good article from Steve Serby. I enjoy reading intelligent opinion pieces. I don't agree with everything Mehta writes, but he's damn good at sparking discussion. Intelligent Jets fans know that.

I started a thread with a good article from Steve Serby. I enjoy reading intelligent opinion pieces. I don't agree with everything Mehta writes, but he's damn good at sparking discussion. Intelligent Jets fans know that.

No, you didn't start a thread, you copy and pasted an article, offered no insight and didn't credit the author. My apologies for saying 8 threads, it's 7. Since there are no intelligent Jet fans here, why don't you just go back to Hindiboycockgobblers.com?